Powered toy and energizing method therefor



S. VETRO June 27, 1939.

POWERED TOY AND ENERGIZING METHOD THEREFOR Filed June 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l EW JZ.

w W m June 27, 1939.-- V RO 2,164,099

POWERED TOY AND ENERGIZING ME THOD THEREFOR Filed June 25, 19:57 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 SAMUEL VETRO INVENTOR.

BY m

H i S ATTORNEY.

Patented June 27, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POlVERED TOY AND ENERGIZING METH- OD THEREFOR 10 Claims.

The present invention relates to propelled toys.

One object of the invention is to provide a toy :having a body formed to simulate an aeroplane fuselage with means for demountably and adjustably attaching the flight sustaining wings.

Another object is the provision of such a toy wherein the propelling mechanism may be easily attached and removed for replacement of worn or broken parts.

A further object is the provision on a propelled toy of means for utilizing the torque energy impartab-le to a rubber band in twisting the same, and of a novel method of imparting energy there to in bow-drill fashion.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description thereof, it being understood that various modifications in the details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

It has been customary in propelling toys such as toy aeroplanes or toy boats with twisted rub ber bands, to revolve the propeller with a finger until the band has received its apparent twisting capacity, then holding the propeller against revolution until the toy is released for propulsion, after which the operation of winding is repeated for another flight. This method of imparting motion to the toy is slow and tiresome and detracts from the pleasure of utilizing the toy.

Another method of spinning a propeller on such toys is by the use of a string wound on a drum attached to the propeller shaft, exerting a vigorous pull on the cord thereby unwinding the cord from the drum and allowing the propeller to spin in the well known manner of gyrosoopic or Whirligig types of toys. This method also necessitates a preliminary winding action to coil nearly the entire length of cord on the shaft to.be revolved, and the number of revolutions impartable to the propeller is directly governed by the number of turns the cord is coiled on the drum.

The present invention aims to obviate this slow winding method by using the said cord in. a novel manner, that is,,in bow-drill fashion. In an illustrated embodiment, to twist the rubber band which actuates the propeller of the toy, a length of cord is coiled from one half to two loops on the propeller shaft, the short end of the cord being grasped with one hand, and the toy with the other. At the same time the hand holding the toy guides the long end of the cord to the shaft by allowing the cord to slip through the fingers. The short end is then drawn away from the toy while the hand holding the toy allows the long end of the cord to pass frictionally so as to assure that the coiled portion of cord on the shaft will tightly grip the shaft as the cord is passing over it. When the long end of the cord has nearly all passed through the hand, the propeller shaft is gripped to prevent the rubber band from unwinding, and the cord is released and removed from the shaft. now twisted tightly and the toy is ready to be propelled. After the rubber band has spent its energy, the toy may again be wound by coiling the cord about the shaft as before stated, and pulling on the cord. This novel method is fast and fascinating, for the twisting action of the one or two coils on the shaft is determined by the length of cord used rather than the number of times the cord is. initially coiled about the shaft.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a toy aeroplane fuselage body without any wings or propelling mechanism attached.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the propeller shaft assembly showing the cord in broken View coiled on the shaft about one and one half turns, and a thrust bearing moved slightly back of its normal position adjacent the shaft flange.

Fig, 3 is a broken side elevation of the nose portion of the fuselage shown in Fig. 1 with the nose flap and propeller assembly thereon. The rubber band is also shown in twisted form.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the nose flap before it is bent around the nose of the fuselage as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the nose flap shown in Fig. 4 showing the same bent around the nose of the fuselage.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a nose flap not provided with a guide for the cord, as it appears when bent around the nose of the fuselage.

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of another type of aeroplane fuselage cut in imitation of a low wing The rubber band and propeller as aeroplane. sembly are shown in place. The brake is shown swiveled out of the path of the propeller while the buzzer is shown in the path of the propeller in the position occupied for producing a buzzing noise.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation and Fig. 9 a side elevation of bearing clamps for journalling the propeller shaft on the type of fuselage shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a broken away side plan view of the propelling mechanism applied to a toy boat. The screw type of journal bearings and cord guide are shown for the shaft, and also a screw hook for one end of the rubber band.

Fig. 11 is a bottom broken view of the propeller portion. of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a broken side plan view of the front portion of a fuselage showing another type of nose flap having a finger perforation, and made larger to cover the whole nose.

The rubber band is 1 Referring to the drawings, the fuselage I is preferably composed of a thin blank such as fiberboard slotted at H to receive a large sustaining wing at right angles to the vertical plane of the fuselage. Another slot [2 is provided in spaced relation to slot II to receive a tail wing.

Each of said slots H and I2 may be continued by narrow slits I3 and M respectively so as to allow said slots H and I2 to yield flexibly when inserting or removing the wings. The wings are preferably made flat and thin and of a thickness slightly greater than the slots II and I2 so as to be frictionally held in place, the thickness of the fuselage being sufiicient to keep the wings at right angles thereto. The width of the wings may also be smaller than the length of the slots H and I2 so as to allow adjustment of the wings therein to obtain varying types of flights. Another slot l5 extends substantially the entire length of the fuselage Ill, being so shaped as to form a hook |6 at one end thereof, and being continued at the opposite end to receive a propeller shaft H. The propeller shaft I1 is provided with a hook l8 at one end. A rubber band I9 is stretched between said hooks l6 and I8 on the fuselage l0 and shaft I! respectively, so that as shaft I! is revolved the hook l8 thereon twists the band 9, the other end thereof being held stationary by hook It on the fuselage Ill.

The propeller shaft H is provided with a pulley 20 consisting preferably of a diametrically enlarged drum portion 29a and a flange 2| adjacent thereto. A propeller 22 may be attached to shaft II in any convenient manner such as by riveting over a portion of the shaft 23 protruding through a perforation 24 in the propeller body 22 which abuts against an oppositely disposed shoulder 25 on shaft Perforation 24 may be square to insure a secure joint, although it has been found that a tightly riveted joint is satisfactory with a round perforation.

The nose flap 26 may be formed in a butter fly shape as at Fig. 4 and may have a guide finger 21 to assist the hand in guiding the cord 28 as it is being fed to the pulley 20 of shaft so that the cord will be fed beyond the flange 2| and not be allowed to straddle the flange and wedge between the flange 2| and the nose flap 26. With a little practice, one can guide the cord with one finger of the hand holding the toy, but the inexperienced prefer the provision of a guide finger 21 such as is shown in Fig. 4 or the bifurcated screw type 29 shown in Fig. 11. The nose flap 26 when assembled on the nose of the fuselage I0 acts as a closure for the slot 30 wherein the shaft I! is journalled by bending the winged portions at right angles to its perforation 3|, the said perforation 3| being disposed in the axial plane of the slot 30 so as to form a bearing for the shaft ll.

As the rubber band I9 is twisted, it progressively exerts a greater pull on the two hooks l6 and I8, thereby forcing the propeller shaft l'l inwardly of the fuselage In in the embodiment illustrated. To prevent flange 2| on shaft II from creating an undesirable amount of thrust friction against the nose flap 26 during this tension and especially as the propeller shaft is released to propel the toy, there may be provided within the. nose flap perforation 3| a flanged bearing member 32 such as an ordinary tubular eyelet and there may also be interposed a thrust bearing member 33, such as a thin disk washer coated with a lubricating substance, on the shaft l'l between the flange of the bearing member 32 and the flange 2|.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the nose of the fuselage I0 is provided with a slot 34 to act as an inner bearing surface for shaft I1, and the sides of said slot may be closed by a strap member ll such as an ordinary wire staple, which may also serve to hold the nose portion of the fuselage l0 against spreading apart due to the continuous opening made up of slots i5, 34, 30, and the finger-hole perforation 35 to allow braking the shaft II.

In Fig. 7 is shown an embodiment of the invention for use in low-winged type toy monoplanes. In the embodiment shown the shaft band It, and hook l6 may be provided on the top of the fuselage ID, in which case the shaft 31 and the bearing member 32 may be journaled on fuselage ill by means of hook clamps 36 made V shaped so as to grip different portions of fuselage It"! when clinched in place thereon. There is also illustrated in this embodiment a combination brake 31 and buzzer 38, formed by swivelly attaching two projecting lugs to the nose of fuselage l0 preferably by means of an eyelet 39, having a perforation 40 which may be used as a guide for guiding the cord 28 to the pulley 20. Either or both lugs 31 and 38 may be swiveled in and out of the rotary path of the propeller 22, so that while the brake lug 3'! is swiveled in the path of the propeller 22, the propeller cannot rotate, but if only the buzzer lug 38 is swiveled in the path of the propeller 22, the same may be revolved and in so doing will produce a buzzing noise simulating the roar of a gasoline motor, due to the alternate impingement of each blade of the propeller against the buzzer lug. It will be noted that the brake lug 37 is inflexible, while the buzzer lug 38 is flexible.

In Fig. is illustrated another embodiment of the invention when applied to the propulsion of toy boats and watercraft. Due to the fact that weight has a much lesser importance in watercraft than in aeronautic craft, a screw type of hook It for the rubber band, and guide 21 for the cord 28 may be used, as watercraft are quite universally constructed of wood. It will be noted also that a bifurcated yoke type of guide 29 is shown in Fig. 11.

The operation of the various types of craft is quite the same and may be described as follows: The toy body II] is held in the left hand, using the thumb as the pressure member. The cord 28 is then passed through the palm of the hand and the fingers so that pressure may be applied to the cord as it is allowed to slip through. One end of the cord 28 is allowed to extend beyond the hand (the short end) and passed around the guide finger 21 and then coiled one or two turns about the pulley 2|] with the other hand. Now, while still holding the short end with the right hand, it is steadily pulled while the left hand allows the remainder of the cord to slip frictionally. The coils on the pulley are thereby kept tight, and as the cord is being pulled out of the left hand to the pulley, the right hand is pulling the cord away from the pulley, while the coils on the pulley remain the same in number and cause the propeller shaft pulley 20, and propeller 22 to rotate in the opposite direction to that in which they propel the toy. When the cord 28 has nearly all passed through the left hand, the thumb and index finger are manipulated to grip the shaft l'l through finger hole 35, or, if brake lug 31 is used, it is swiveled into the path of the propeller 22. The rubber band has now been tightly twisted by the hook l8 on shaft I1, and the cord 28 may be released completely by the left hand and pulled off the pulley 20 by the right hand. The craft is now launched by allowing the rubber band I 9 to untwist, during which process the propeller 22 is made to revolve in the opposite direction to that in which it rotated while the rubber band was being twisted, and the craft is thereby propelled until the rubber band has spent its energy by untwisting, after which the twisting operation may again be repeated.

The method herein described of twisting a rubber band on an aeroplane is the same for a boat shown in Fig. 10, with the obvious slight difference such as braking the shaft. Land craft may also be made to function similarly by motivating its wheels with the rubber band instead of a propeller. The invention herein described is capable of universal application Wherever a winding operation is performed for motive power. The speed with which winding is performed is tremendously increased over former methods.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination a power device comprising resilient means adapted for controllably storing and releasing torque energy, means for imparting torque energy in bow drill fashion to said resilient means for storage therein, and means connected to said resilient means for utilizing said stored energy.

2. The method of storing torque energy impartable to a longitudinally resilient band com prising stretching said band between opposed fastening means, one of said fastening means being revolvable and being connected to the element to be driven by said energy and having a space for coiling thereon of a cord; coiling a portion of a cord about said space in bow-drill fashion; exerting a pull on one end of said cord while allowing the other end beyond the coiled portion to follow with some resistance to prevent slippage of the coiled portion on said revolvable means; and applying friction to said revolvable means being revolved by said cord as the latter is removed to prevent said revolvable means from spending the energy imparted until so desired.

3. The method of twisting a rubber band on toys propelled thereby comprising fastening one end of said rubber band to a stationary element on the toy and the other end to the revolvable driven shaft of the propelling element; coiling a portion of a cord about said shaft in bow-drill fashion, exerting a pull on one end of said cord at one side of said coiled portion while applying resistance to the cord beyond the coiled portion; and gripping said shaft when releasing tension on said cord in removing the same from said shaft whereby said rubber bands are twisted and so maintained until 5. As an article of manufacture, a power propelled fuselage for a toy aeroplane comprising an elongated blank slotted for insertion therein of wings for flying, and also slotted substantially throughout its length so as to form a hook at one end, a bearing recess for a propeller shaft at the other end and a recess for the power propelling means therebetween, said bearing recess having an enlarged finger opening therein.

6. In combination a power propelled fuselage for a toy aeroplane comprising an elongated blank, slotted for insertion therein of wings for flying, and also slotted substantially throughout its length so as to form a hook at one end, a bearing recess at the other end for a propeller shaft and a recess for the power propelling means therebetween; and a cover flap secured to the nose of said fuselage having a perforation adjacent the bearing recess in said blank to form a continuous opening therewith, and a relatively larger perforation axially of said recess to form a finger-hole to allow insertion of a finger to act as a brake on the shaft therein.

7. A combined buzzer and brake for toy aeroplanes, comprising in combination with a body fashioned in imitation of an aeroplane fuselage, of a propeller shaft thereon having a propeller attached thereto, extended beyond the fuselage and a pair of lugs swivelly attached to the fusemechanism for twisted rubber band driven toys comprising in combination, a cord; a base; a rubber band hooked at one end of said base; a hooked shaft journaled on said base in engagement with the other end of said rubber band and having a flanged portion thereon to form an abutment for said cord said cord being coiled on said shaft in bow drill fashion for twisting the rubber band; a guide on said base adjacent the flanged portion of said shaft to guide the cord, and a propelling device secured to said shaft for propelling the toy.

9. In combination a rubber band propelled fuselage for a toy aeroplane comprising a blank slotted for insertion therein of sustaining wings and also slotted substantially throughout its length, said slot being characterized by a hook at its closed end, an opening for containing the rubber band, an opening adjacent thereto to form a bearing recess for a propeller shaft, an enlarged opening adjacent said bearing recess to allow gripping the shaft with the fingers for braking the same, and another opening adjacent said enlarged opening to form an outer bearing recess for the shaft; a cover flap around said nose having a perforation disposed in the axial plane of said bearing recess; and a clip secured about said slot so as to form a closed bearing recess together with the walls of said slot.

10. A rubber band actuated power drive for toy aeroplanes comprising a toy aeroplane fuselage body having a stationary hook at one end; a rubber band secured thereto; a propeller shaft having a hook at one end engaging the other end of said rubber band, and being journaled on said fuselage, said shaft having an enlarged diametrical portion and a flange adjacent thereto; a propeller blade secured to said shaft; and a cord detachably coiled in bow-drill fashion about said enlarged diametrical portion of said shaft for twisting said rubber band.

SAMUEL VETRO. 

